Over the weekend I was at a craft retreat in the hill country of Texas. It was so nice to get away and spend several days with a bunch of other crafty women. Most of us sewed or knitted during the retreat. It was so fun to do what is usually a solitary activity with a bunch of other gals and to share meals with them and watch movies and tell stories and laugh.

On the last morning of the retreat, I hung out on the porch in the morning for a bit and listened to birds, goats, and roosters in the distance. It was very restorative, much like how Lucy is restored in nature.

While preparing for the retreat, I was looking up all sorts of sewing patterns and tried to decide what I wanted to make. It was a difficult decision! I found this pattern in my search (though I did not make it). I also found this dress pattern, as well as this top.

I ended up actually making the Grainline Studio Alder dress (minus doing the buttonholes and attaching buttons), a kimono that I drafted myself, and cut out all the pieces for a Kalle Dress. I also knit some on my seed stitch wrap and a sock. This Alder sew along was super super helpful when I was making my dress! I cut my Kalle Dress from rayon fabric and this post was helpful for dealing with rayon.

Speaking of rings, I got this one at Madewell last week and it has become a part of my daily rotation. One of my friends saw it and immediately said, "Under his eye," which made me laugh but then also shudder.

As promised, a knitting post this week! I am going to break it down into what I am currently working on and then yarns and patterns/projects I am interested in!

WIPs!I have been knitting socks and my never-ending seed stitch wrap lately. I am LOVING sock knitting, which is something I would not have said just a few years ago. I have a DK weight sock going and a traditional sock-weight sock going too. In the past, I have done 2 at a time toe-up socks, but this time I am doing one at a time so that I can really get the construction method down pat. I am doing things like taking measurements and counting stitches and all those things you do when you are trying to really understand something. I cast on both socks with Judy's Magic Cast On and have turned heels on both socks with the Fish Lips Kiss Heel. I'll post a proper update of my WIPs eventually, complete with photos.

Yarns!In addition to sock knitting, I have been researching eco-friendly yarns. I have come across a few from Woolful and then learned about another one recently. Let's just go in list form, shall we?-Camellia Fiber Company. I am absolutely swooning over the colors of these yarns!-Sincere Sheep. Love it when a company can tell me exactly what sheep breed their yarn is from.-Wing and a Prayer. Of course, a classic! -De Rurum Natura. Again, loving the colors. -O Wool. Can't forget about good old O Wool. -Beaverslide Mule-Spun Yarn. Can we please talk about the beauty that is the Hidden Lake color way?!-Woolly Mammoth Fibre Company. I just found out about this one this week and I am already in love with their beautiful yarns and instagram. -Hey Lady Hey is another one I have been looking into lately, though the shop is currently closed.

Sorry for the silence. We all know I am not the most regular of bloggers. I have missed this place nonetheless and thought i'd pop in with some links. I have some knitting and making things to share as well, but for now, let's catch up!

Do you ever get "stuck" listening to an album. Like it's ALL you want to listen to? I am in that sort of phase right now with Earthtones by Bahamas. Cannot. Stop. Listening. Nor do I want to.

I have been...knitting socks. For real. I kept telling you guys I wanted to do it, and I really am. It's going well. Finding this blog has also been encouraging for my endeavor.

I am very late to the Starbucks "medicine ball" train, but now that I know about it, I am on the train. It's pretty good! This homemade version sounds even more delicious. I opt out of the peach tea part cause I have a huge aversion to anything peach flavored (except, of course, actual peaches), but it is still really good!

I have been wearing a lot of skirts lately and it has me wanting more dresses in my wardrobe (so I don't have to figure out what top to wear!) and this one could def be a contender.

A couple of weekends ago I did my grocery shopping at Trader Joe's. I normally go to Target, so i was very pleasantly surprised at all the fun stuff they have at TJs. I made sure to pick up some polenta because it's a great pantry staple. I found this recipe after I bought it and it sounds so good!

I am spending the weekend in East Texas at my friend's lakehouse. We had a gorgeously sunny and warm day yesterday and as we drove to the lake, the skies turned dark and dangerous and today it has only been in the mid-30s! We are enjoying this last (hopefully) cold day by hunkering down, drinking lattes, watching Netflix, building a fire, and otherwise staying cozy. What better way to spend a cold afternoon than with some perfect links?!

I have never been into arm knitting, but I really like this pillow and it makes me want to try arm knitting.

Did I write this?! The answer is no, but we all know I definitely could have. As much as I hate to hear that other people have also caused themselves pain and injuries from knitting, it's nice to know that I'm not the only one.

And last, but very much not least, I discovered this blog today and I am OBSESSED. I want EVERYTHING she owns. Her 10x10 project is super inspiring and makes me want to try to figure out different ways of wearing my clothes.

That's all I've got for now! I hope you all stay nice and warm and enjoy your weekend.

Happy Sunday! I hope you are having a lovely weekend full of rest, relaxation, and a little bit of fun. Hopefully these links add to one, or all three, of those things.

Is it just me or are these culottes adorable?! The breeziness of a skirt with the security of pants?! Yes, please. Might have to add these to my to-make list.

I saw this gorgeous embroidery on reddit this week and it made me want to try to make something similar.

Sometimes I use these weekend reading posts as a repository for things I don't want to forget. This link is just that. I know I've talked multiple times on here about this style of apron...clearly I am still thinking about it and seeking them out!

Last week, I went to a friend's birthday dinner. This particular friend is très smart and has a love and knowledge of literature. I had told one of our mutual friends who was in attendance at the dinner that I had thought of printing off a poem and including it in her card, but I was certain she had the poem memorized or something. This friend, also très smart and very literary, thought this was a fab idea. She is also very familiar with a lot of poetry so we ended up talking about poems and poets and I wrote down some people she mentioned and sent her a recent fave of mine. I'll leave this excerpt here:I will repeat these words until I am no longer reluctantUntil these words are a givenUntil they are no longer foreign in my mouthI will repeat these wordsI have a beautiful bodyI have a beautiful bodyI have a beautiful bodyUntil ownership becomes a privilegeUntil this skin becomes a perfect homeWeathered and worn over timeA perfect homeWhose walls I know wellWhose stair caseAnd old floors creak my favorite songI am my own favorite song that I am just now learning all the words toBut I wanna sing youSing you til the song sticks(beautiful body by natalie patterson)

I liked that poem so much, I think because it describes embodiment perfectly. This a topic I could get on a soapbox with, but I won't, so I'll just leave this Marya Hornbacher quote here: "This is it: This body is home. This is where I live and hang my hat. This is where I settle into my hips and sit easy in myself, slung together with strong muscles and bones, made gentle and forging with flesh. This body is durable, has lasted for years, hunkered down through fierce storms and allows for the peaceful erosions of age. It is like a cottage on the shore: weathered and well made, a place where a person could comfortable live. I like it here. It is my own."

I am going to Seattle in just about a week and a half. I am super excited! I think I might try out the "dance church" class at this dance studio. I've heard good things about the dance church thing, so hopefully I make myself go to one of them!

A few weeks ago, a friend and I were having a chat and inevitably, the conversation turned toward men and dating and love and all that good (question mark) stuff. She told me about an article she read recently and I was like "damn that hurts" and then she sent it to me and I was like "DAMN THAT HURTS". So, here it is. Read at your own risk. I hope you don't related to it too much like *ahem* someone else I know.

Over the weekend I decided it was high time to go through all the many, many opened tabs I had on Safari on my phone. Among the tabs were two songs that I had heard performed live recently but that weren't on the artists' albums, so the only way I could enjoy them was youtube. Now I shall link to them so I, and you, can enjoy them again and again. Bela Fleck and Brooklyn Rider, "Next"The Brother Brothers, "Angel Island"

Yesterday I had one of those days where I was mostly indoors and mostly sitting. Here's a thing about being in your late twenties (that people totally warned me about but I didn't believe them): sitting all day hurts!! It got to a point where I had been so lazy all day long that I set an alarm to get up and move around for 10 minutes. And then I thought to myself, 'if I did this every hour for 12 hours, I'd have moved for 2 hours'. I thought that sounded pretty healthy and not like I live too sedentary of a life, so I'm gonna try to make that a goal this week. I have succeeded so far today (plus I went grocery shopping, so that counted for more than 10 min right there!). I think it'll be especially useful at work, where I'm usually either sitting in therapy sessions or at my desk typing up notes.

I went on a spring cleaning spree today. Or maybe more like spring productivity?! I've cleaned a few things (like my humidifier, which will be put away til October-ish, and my laptop, which was in desperate need of a good magic eraser-ing) and I also did some laundry, meal planned, went grocery shopping, practiced French, ran a couple of errands, and went to church. All before 3pm!

Now onto things that are more fun than cleaning!

One of my New Year goals (I'm not really a resolutions person) was to meal plan and grocery shop on the weekends. I tend to do meal planning and prep pretty on the fly and when you're working full time that's a recipe for disaster! This week, I am going to eat some leftovers and also this Vegetarian West African Peanut Soup and Spaghetti Squash "Pizza" Bowls. Thanks, Cookie and Kate for always providing me with great vegetarian recipes!

Last night, in an effort to not sit around all day long, I texted some friends to see if they wanted to hang out. We ended up at one gal's house and we watched Coco. It was SO good! I now see what all the hype has been about.

I am reading about a thousand books right now, but that didn't stop me from purchasing a new one this week. Heart Talk. I am expecting very good things from this one.

I came across this knitted spa set on Instagram and fell in love. I especially like the idea of a little soap pouch! Perfect projects for the random skein of cotton yarn I have! There's something so luxurious about having hand-knit washcloths, right?!

I got behind in my French language study habit when I was doing rehab for my arm, but I am finally, FINALLY all caught back up on my lessons! I had also gotten out of the habit of listening to Coffee Break French, but I started that back up again too and I am loving it! It's such an easy listen and I have definitely improved my French by listening (and speaking along). And while we are on a French note, here's a website with lots of French reading for beginners!

I saw this article on multiple link round-ups throughout the week which means I have not been the only one literally under the weather. We had a long stretch of very cloudy, cold, and rainy days here in Dallas and it was starting to get to me. I am feeling more energetic and more positive these days and some of the tips in this list really helped, namely getting out of the house even if the weather wasn't great, taking vitamin D tablets, and doing yoga.

I am amazed by Erin's dedication to reducing the amount of waste she and her family produce!! I am becoming more and more aware of how disposable our culture is and am really trying to focus on sustainability. There were some new-to-me ideas in this post.

I got a weird idea in my head this week and it required inverting the colors of a photo. Being the not-so-tech-savvy person I am, I googled it and found a great step-by-step article and I was successful in inverting the colors!

I have been thinking a lot about meditating these days and Carly's post really inspired me to be more dedicated to actually having a meditation practice. I also liked her post about journaling and I think I will start journaling a little more. I used to be religious about it, but I never looked back on anything and reflected. I feel like this past year was one of growth and progress and also confusion and writing stuff down would've been helpful, though, so maybe I'll make that a regular practice too. I am also toying around with the idea of a bullet journal-esque journal that would basically be a habit tracker and a place for my weekly happiness lists. We'll see!

I hope you all enjoy the rest of your weekend and have a great week! xoxo

Happy happy Friday! How was your week? I am enjoying the sunshine that is much needed after a few weeks of rainy weather. I didn't realize how gloomy I was getting with that gloomy weather until the sun came out. I hope there is sun and a slight warmth to the air wherever you are.

First things first: one of the most exciting parts of my week was Monday when I found out Punch Brothers are releasing a new album and will be touring in the summer. Another exciting part was Tuesday when I scored (very affordable) VIP tickets to their Dallas show!!! I am so freaking excited and will eagerly be awaiting the show in September!

With all the grey weather, I knew I needed to start reprioritizing some ~movement~ in my life. The clouds and rain had me down and so I decided to start doing Yoga with Adriene on the reg again. I did FIVE days in a row this week which is definitely a record for me! The thing I most like about Yoga with Adriene (besides the fact I can do it at home and for free) is that she doesn't do any crazy poses and for the most part her videos are not stressful on the shoulders.

I love a good hot bath with epsom salts, but this little mix sounds even more luxurious.

On one of those aforementioned rainy days I found this recipe and made a really delicious chai latte with it. I didn't have any dry milk so i just omitted that and made my tea with 6oz of water and 6oz of milk. I put the liquids and a black tea teabag in a saucepan and stirred in some of the mix. It was sooo good!

Do you guys suffer from secondhand embarrassment? I do. You'll know if you suffer from it too if all of these texts make you want to crawl into a hole. Super funny but the cringing is real!

Idk why but I am always on the lookout for cute bandanas. I don't wear them particularly often, but I think I have this assumption that if I owned more of them that I would wear them all the time. Regardless, these are some seriously cute ones!

The Death of Clothing. Speaking of...I maybe might have bought a clothing item and an accessory this past weekend. I am trying not to buy any clothes this year but made the caveat of if I did, they would be secondhand, and guess what?! My purchases were secondhand! I got a really unique long sleeveless kimono cardigan type thing (I have no idea how else to describe this article of clothing!) and a backpack purse, which I had been wanting to find FOREVER. I felt good for not buying anything new and I know both will be used and loved often. Hooray secondhand!

Well, my dears, I think that's all I've got! I hope you all have a great weekend. Here's hoping you have plenty of sun and movement :)

I haven't done one of these posts in a while and I thought it might be nice to share some knitting inspo!

I have been alllllll about sweaters lately. I have never before favorited so many sweaters! I think it's because of a few things: first of all, ever since knitting my first sweater last year I have a new confidence in my skill set than ever before. Then there's the fact that I now own a few shawls that I love, adore, and wear regularly, so knitting ALL the shawls isn't as important to me anymore. And finally, practicality. I don't really own very many sweaters and I wish I did. They are such an easy thing to wear in winter and hello, they keep you warm.

I have also been thinking about, very surprisingly, socks. Y'all know me and my aversions to tiny yarn and needles, but for some reason I can't get the thought of socks out of my mind. I think it might be because I have only ONE(!) wip on the needles right now. That is definitely not my norm! It has me thinking about what's next. I'd ideally like a portable project and one I could add a few rows to easily and quickly and socks are really the best for that! So who knows, maybe this is the year I actually become a sock knitter. I have a vacation coming up soon and I definitely want to take a project or two for the plane and to work on when I am crafting with my friend, so I better decide quick what's next for my needles!

And one last thing- Wool and the Gang has a sock kit out right now that has yarn that makes its own leopard print (or cloud print) pattern as you knit! I LOVE the cloud ones.

So there you have it. All the patterns that are taking up space in my brain. I always think it's interesting to see the similarities (and lack thereof) when I look at my faves. It's looking like a simple oversized garter stitch pullover and/or cardigan is in my future- I have several of them faved! I'll be sure to update whenever I eventually cast something on!

Hey there friends! I have a bit of a different post lined up for you today. As most of you know, I was dealing with a rather debilitating injury for most of last year and I am finally, FINALLY (mostly) healed and pain free!!! It's been a wild ride and I have had a lot of questions about what was going on. So, here you have it, a whole (very long) post dedicated to my right arm.

In January 2017 I went on a knitting spree knitting this sweet sweater. I was knitting for multiple hours a day and when I do that I tend to have some soreness, as one would expect. Around the same time, I fell into a total Instagram hole. I was just non-stop scrolling. Eventually my thumb would start hurting and I would just keep scrolling. It got to the point where my thumb was actually hurting like a lot and I started calling it "Instagram Thumb Disease." You can definitely use that term if you have ever been affected by it (and I know you all have).

Did I rethink my priorities? Did I give myself breaks? Did I get the F off of instagram?

NOPE.

I just carried on, scrolling away, knitting tons, playing on the computer for hours, you know the drill. It was one of those things where I knew it was a bad idea but that freakin' dopamine just kept going and I couldn't stop. Technology addiction is real, y'all. Here's the thing about your thumb, though: it connects to your elbow. Weird, right? Don't believe me? Stick your arm straight out, put your opposite fingers on the top of your elbow and move your thumb. You feel that? Yep, you do, because your thumb is in fact attached to your elbow. All of that is to say this- my thumb was no longer the only thing hurting, my forearm and elbow were hurting quite a bit too.

Finally in March or April I decided to cut back on the knitting and 'gramming some and I went to my old orthopedist who I have seen for various ailments throughout the years. I will not name drop her now because I was very unhappy with the care I got from her this time around. She basically felt around my elbow and said she didn't feel anything and told me to just take Advil. Okkkkkkkkk.

I suffered through a few more months of pain and would occasionally knit a bit and would INSTANTLY have sharp pain in my forearm and elbow. Throughout this entire injury my arm was just so so tight and I couldn't get it to relax. I would go through periods of not doing anything- no crafts, go scrolling on my phone or computer- and the tightness would persist. I was constantly aware of my forearm and that's not something most people are aware of at all times.

In June I went to a hand specialist. He specializes mostly in carpal tunnel and I had seen him a few years ago when I had a bit of tennis elbow from typing a lot, knitting a lot, and holding babies all the time while I was nannying. He told me that my symptoms were consistent with radial tunnel syndrome which is basically carpal tunnel syndrome but on the top part of your arm instead of the bottom part. He gave me a cortisone shot and a brace that I had to wear until the soreness from the shot went away and then every night while I slept.

Day of my first cortisone shot, Garfield bandaid and all.

Apparently some people have a reaction to a cortisone shot called a "cortisone flare". I am one of those people. For me, the pain and soreness significantly increased after the injection and continued for about 72 hours. And then like magic, after 72 hours everything felt mostly normal. I thought I was cured!

Reader, I was not cured.

I had about a 75% reduction in pain. That's not nothing but I still was experiencing significant pain when knitting, and really, all I care about in life is being able to knit (and a few other things). About 2 months after the initial injection, I went back to the specialist and he said that he was pretty sure the last 25% was due to tennis elbow and he gave me another cortisone injection. I had another cortisone flare but this time, nothing else happened. The pain from the injection went away but the pain from the tennis elbow did not. I was discouraged at this point because I was about to go to Stitches Texas and I needed to be able to knit for 3 hours at a time and I definitely wasn't going to be able to do that.

Back in the brace :(

September and Stitches Texas came around and I decided to go because I had spent a lot of money to be there. I went to my first class, continental knitting, and was seated next to someone who just happened to be a physical therapist! I told her about my poor elbow and she told me to start taking anti-inflammatories every day, ice for 5 mins a day, and do cross fiber massage. It really did help and it got me through my classes at Stitches with little to no pain! But after doing that for a few weeks, I kinda hit a plateau and was still having tightness and pain.

At my wits end, I finally decided to look into this place that a few friends had told me about many months ago, Airrosti. All I had heard about them at this point was that they were "soft tissue specialists". I did all the paperwork online and someone called to set up an appointment almost instantly (even though it was the weekend!). A few days later, in October, I was at an Airrosti clinic (there are tons of them) and had my first treatment.

What exactly does this treatment look like, you ask? You spend 30 min with the doctor who does this massage type thing and then 15-20 min with the physical therapist. The first 30 min are...interesting. Since my injury was my arm, I'd lay on this table and the doctor would just rub my arm really hard for 30 min. this ain't your relaxing-by-the-pool-on-vacation type massage, my friends. this is a I-have-to-stop-talking-to-breathe-through-the-pain type "massage". I bruised every time.

Sounds fun, right?! But in all seriousness, both of my doctors and my physical therapist were wonderful and we had good convos that really helped make the time go by. One of my friends who has also been to Airrosti says she thinks part of the training is in having good convos and I bet she's right!

After the "massage" they send you over to the physical therapist who gives you exercises to do. For my arm, my exercises included a theraband, lacrosse ball, rubber band, and a wall ha! They also tape you up with kinesiotape. After my arm treatment was over, I asked to keep coming to work on my shoulders too, so we added a foam roller into the mix. I now understand why people have love/hate relationships with foam rollers. While I'm using it, I curse the day it was invented, but afterward I feel amazing!

Blue tape after my first treatment.

Pink tape after my second treatment. You can see some bruising on my tricep on the top left.

More tricep bruising.

Probably the worst bruising I experienced the whole time. I was really thankful to have the tape to cover it most of the time!

More bruises and purple tape.

While in treatment, you do your physical therapy exercises at home everyday 2x/day and ice for 20 mins after. I had a really elaborate ice setup and I honestly kinda looked forward to it! Most people have their injuries resolved in THREE VISITS! I did 5 sessions for my arm and I think like 6 sessions for both shoulders combined. While in treatment, you are encouraged to keep doing all of your activities as long as they don't cause pain. This meant I could do some knitting and I was going to yoga regularly at this time too. By Thanksgiving, I was done with treatment.

Ice time!

So, I have been out of treatment for 3 months now and I am still feeling great! I keep up with my physical therapy exercises- at first I did them once a day and iced if I had a lot of soreness, then I was able to drop down to every other day, and at this point I'm typically doing the exercises twice/week. I am able to knit for several hours at a time now with no pain at all and typically without any soreness even! I truly thought that I might never knit pain free again, so I am totally thrilled with my results and even more thrilled when I chill out and knit! Since treatment, I have finished 3 projects, more than I have finished in a very long time. I am so grateful to my team at Airrosti and I recommend them 1000%! If you have any questions about my injury, treatment, or recovery, please feel free to ask.

And, let this be a reminder to us all to not overdo things. You don't want to be in pain for nearly a year, my friends. It's not worth it. Be kind to yourself.

I'm thinking about dress sewing lately and I keep coming back to really similar ideas. This is one of them. This is the other. They're essentially the exact same, one is just sleeveless. Perhaps this will be a thing soon. I have had this pattern on my mind and have seen sleeved and sleeveless iterations of it on instagram, sooooo I feel like this is just an inevitability in my life!

Yesterday I went to Target to pick up a few toiletries and a birthday gift for a friend. I ended up getting distracted by a new beauty brand they are carrying and spent at least 5 minutes smelling all the perfumes. I really liked this Brainiac scent and this Rustic Woods scent. I sprayed the Brainiac on and I could still smell it when I went to bed! Might have to add these to my collection soon. I am super picky about perfumes, so when I find one I like it is rare!

Dramatically switching gears here: let's talk about student loans. Earlier this month I had to send in an application for my income-based repayment plan to be renewed and let's just say it ended in tears. I find my student loan debt to be completely overwhelming and guilt-filled. It is a huge number and I often wonder if I will ever be able to pay it off. I am so grateful for my education and everything it has allowed me to do, but the debt it comes with is crippling and terrifying. I read this article this week and dreamed of being debt free. Maybe one day!

And just so we don't end on that depressing note, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver is back tonight! I missed eating breakfast on Monday mornings while I watched his show. I'm happy I'll get to be back in that routine!

So let's see, how to tell the story of this one? I don't remember exactly when I stumbled upon the Simpatico Wrap, but I know when I did, I was enchanted by its simplicity. I have an affinity for things that are basically wearable blankets and this one definitely fits into that category. I thought about it for a long while, knowing that I would need to find some truly perfect yarns for it, so I would just look at it on Ravelry every once in a while, dreaming of the day when I would find the perfect yarn match.

Enter the 2017 DFW Fiber Fest in April. I went and explored and found a great solid Madeline Tosh and a speckled Hedgehog Fibres. The only problem? The vendor I bought the Hedgehog from didn't have the colorway I liked in a sock weight. I found 2 skeins of a DK weight and decided to just go with it and got 2 skeins of a DK Madeline Tosh as well. I almost immediately cast on. This was back in my injured arm days (I swear I really will post about this soon), so things were slow going, even though this is a super simple project.

My Hedgehog yarns, being hand-dyed, had some variations in the speckles and I had a hard time deciding which one to cast on with. I ended up ripping out and casting this one on several times! At one point I was alternating skeins but my stranded edge was getting too tight, so I ripped once more and in August I finally decided to just knit with one skein and then switch when I ran out. The variation in the speckling in noticeable only to me, I am sure.

Soon after, I started treatment for my injury and was able to knit for long stretches again. I finished some other projects and then dedicated all of my energy to Simpatico! It is a very easy knit and it's so fun to see it increasing and then decreasing. This thing was quite the behemoth to block, but it definitely needed it. Mine ended up quite large- 48" square- but I love it and it is so cozy! I am so happy I decided to do DK weight. It's the perfect weight for me. My most-worn wrap is worsted weight, and while I love my sock-weight shawls and they are gorgeous, they just aren't the same as snuggling up in a swath of DK or worsted. This is the perfect project to use some of those special skeins of yarn that you love to look at and pet but aren't quite sure what to do with. It's an excellent showcase and use of a fave!

All the photos!

Specs!Yarn: Hedgehog Fibers Merino DK in Monet, Madeline Tosh DK Twist in Uma's Thurman (obsessed with the name...unfortunately it's not on the Mad Tosh site), 2 skeins eachPattern: Simpatico Wrap by Kristine VejarNeedle: size 9 Chiaogoo circulars, prob 40" lengthI have no idea how many stitches I ended up with at the longest point...I knit with the Hedgehog first since it had less yardage than the Mad Tosh and I knit with it until I was no longer confident that I could get another row with it :) Prob a few hundred stitches. Ravelry linkStarted April 9, 2017, ripped out several times, started for real in August 2017Finished February 2, 2018.

Happy Sunday! How has your weekend been? Have you moved at all from the couch or have you been glued to it, watching the Olympics, like me?! I have always liked the Olympics but my zest for watching didn't start til 2012, when I was nannying infant twins and was relegated to the couch for much of the day. Ever since, I have figured out my favorite events, found the schedule online, and recorded and watched. Right now I'm really digging slopestyle, ski jump, and pretty much anything else that happens on skis or snowboards.

Even with all the Olympic watching, I have found time to read and find links to share :)

I'm not a huge magazine reader, but there are a few I really enjoy. I renewed my subscription to Making this week and added a subscription to Taproot. I am also a perpetual subscriber to Mollie Makes. I am sure to be inspired this year!

Last week, I was hanging out with one of my best friends and she mentioned that later in the week, I would have a surprise. I asked all sorts of questions about it, wanting to be somewhat prepared, and could not figure out at all what I might be. Yesterday, as I was sitting around, watching the Olympics, a package arrived on my front step. What?! I hadn't considered this possibility. When I opened it, there was another box inside and it said "Happy Galentine's Day" and I immediately was overcome with happiness. If you don't watch Parks and Rec, you are seriously missing out, if only because you don't understand the fun of Galentine's Day. For the uninitiated, my friend had sent a package full of love and compliments. It's pretty much the best. Katie, you're a true Leslie Knope and a beautiful rule-breaking moth.

I hope you all enjoy the rest of your weekends. I took tomorrow off and I am just thrilled! Hopefully I spend the rest of today and all of tomorrow wisely and not glued to the Olympics...might be wishful thinking!

Welcome to Sunday. I hope this morning finds you content and rested and ready for a quiet day. At least, that's my hope for myself!

Yesterday I was quite busy- hiking with friends at Cedar Ridge Preserve in the morning, then a delicious vegetarian lunch at Cosmic Cafe, followed up with some tea and being surrounded by books at Wild Detectives, then a quick jaunt home to look slightly more presentable, a dinner at a sushi restaurant (with PERFECT tofu), and finally, finally, some time at home with the fam.

And how could I forget?! I started the day bathing and blocking yet another FO!! I finished up my Simpatico Wrap on Friday and got it all ready to wear yesterday. I'm looking forward to cozying up in it! It came out very, very large, so it doubles as a blanket! I'm itching to knit up a pair of socks (WHO AM I) so we will see if I end up casting on a pair soon. I'll have a post with Simpatico details soon.

Now, onto the links!

I love this simple little star mani! I'm giving my nails a break right now after they've been suffocating under a gel mani for a few weeks, but I think I'll try this mani out soon.

Have I ever talked here about my love for the podcast Call Your Girlfriend?! If not, a quick rundown: it's "a podcast for long-distance besties everywhere" and it is essentially and hour-long convo between bffs Ann Friedman and Aminatou Sow. I have been listening for a few years and I credit it with keeping me woke, making me crave slushies in the summer, and for giving me excellent book recs. Ann is a journalist and she recently wrote a great article about not turning everything into a side hustle and I really resonated with it. Let people have their hobbies!

I, like many others, have been following along with the annual Fringe and Friends Knitalong and this year's logalong has been a delight to watch. Karen recently posted about an artist, Margo Selby, who does some log cabin work and OMG. I am SO inspired. As a part of the knitalong, Karen drafted up a seriously cute pair of fingerless mitts and yes, these are going on my to-knit list as well. I'm loving the all-grey ones.

Last Valentine's Day, I hung out with one of my best friends. Her husband was out of town on a work trip, so we had ourselves a little Galentine's Day. We went to dinner and watched a really, really sad movie. We also lit candles, you know, for a romantic ambience. It was then that I confessed this to my dear friend: I have long been terrified of matches and did not know how to properly light one. Completely without judgment, she taught me how to light a match without lighting my fingers on fire. I have been on a roll ever since and no longer fear matches and in fact prefer them to those ugly plastic lighters. I now own a box of matches and my only complaint is that the box is a little...well...ugly. This post inspired me to bust out some fabric scraps and my little sticker maker and make the box a little more pleasant to look at. It's the little things. These would make a really sweet gift as well!

It is a truth universally acknowledged that chocolate and peanut butter are the perfect pairing. I say this with conviction, having just finished a bowl of chocolate peanut butter Cheerios (if you haven't tried these yet, add them to your grocery list. They do not disappoint.). These cookies, then, are bound to be utter perfection.

I hope you are having a wonderful weekend. Mine has been filled with knitting, seeing Phantom Thread (definitely recommend), and a lot of dancing at a 70s themed birthday party. Tonight I'll be seeing Brooklyn Rider and Béla Fleck and I am thrilled! I've seen both before but not together and I think it's going to be such a treat.

Feeling down about your finances? Check this out and suddenly you'll feel very rich.

5 ways to build a more ethical closet. I NEVER think of going to second-hand stores when I buy clothes, but this is the year that I will finally do that. Like I've said here recently, I'm going to try not to shop this year but there are definitely a few things that are lacking in my wardrobe (namely, dress pants that actually cover my ankles) so I think I will end up buying a few articles of clothing this year. I'll be sure to go second-hand!

Tis the season for unbearably dry skin. This homemade calendula salve sounds so luxurious and soothing.

In 2013, I used to work at a specialty fabric shop. I loved working there! We eventually hired a store manager and she used to wear all sorts of fabulous smocks and aprons and I will always remember her Japanese-style aprons. They looked so chic while serving a functional purpose. Ever since, I have wanted one, and I think I have finally found the perfect pattern!

While on the hunt for the above apron pattern, I stumbled across this beautiful etsy shop. I want EVERYTHING in it. I'm finding lots of inspiration for simple handmade clothes amongst all the designs. I'm especially fond of this.

how was your week? what goals are you making for the new year? i'm not really a resolutions person but i do have some goals. i pretty much just want to consume less...spend less money in general and use what i have. i believe i have bought only ONE article of clothing since this summer which is shocking to me but has also been very easy. i'm hoping to continue that and also hoping to replace any clothes shopping with garment sewing instead. i'd also really like to read all the books i own instead of buying new ones this year. and just stay on top of my daily routines that i enjoy so much: writing in my gratitude journal every night, staying on top of notes and hour logs at work, reading poetry every day, practicing french, using the internet less.

Sabotaging Big Days. Oh did this speak to me. As someone who tends to have crazy high expectations for holidays, I sometimes need the reminder that a holiday or a birthday can be just a normal day and doesn't have to be extravagant or The Best Day Ever. Taking the pressure off really helps!

With it being so cold lately I have been taking loads of baths. I usually don't even turn on the cold water! I just steam up the bathroom and soak and warm up all the way to my bones. Earlier this week I threw in a bath bomb that I had been saving and it was so delightful! I want more bath bombs in my life in 2018. My friend Tania shared this post about how to DIY bath bombs and I definitely see myself enjoying lots of baths and bath bombs in my future!

My book club met in December and we read The Power. It was SO GOOD and thought-provoking and disturbing. A very good read. Next up, we are reading What Happened.

Yes, you're reading that correctly...another finished object! I told you I was hoping to have one very soon.

A few weeks ago I was perusing Instagram (doesn't it feel like most of my stories start off this way?) and I saw this post. I loved the little bandana scarf in the photo and I thought it would make a great Christmas present for one of my best friends.

Here's a thing about me: I rarely ever knit for other people. It just doesn't happen. Do you know how much knitting costs?! Or how much time a project takes?! I make things for only the people that I know will truly appreciate and use what I make for them (and who will properly take care of it!). All of that is to say that this friend is a good one and she is deserving of a hand knit :)

The Fragment Scarf knit up super quickly and towards the end I was able to do the 10-row repeat a few times in one sitting because the decreases made everything faster and faster every single row. The only modification I made was that I did not do the last 4 rows because I 1. hate picking up stitches, and 2. was really worried I wasn't going to have enough yarn to finish. The pattern calls for 163 yds and my skein had...163 yds!!! I used Plymouth Cuzco Cashmere yarn and it was suuuuuuuch a pleasure to work with. It's 40% silk, 40% alpaca, and 20% cashmere and is an absolute dream. I would absolutely knit with it again for a small project (it's pretty expensive per gram). I recently bought some unscented Eucalan for washing and blocking my knits and this was the first project I used that on. It worked great!

I knit up this project so quickly that I only took 1 in-progress photo of it! That is really saying something about how quick and easy it is! I really want to make it in a worsted weight yarn on slightly bigger needles to make an extra cozy version.

I am so excited to be able to share a finished object with you guys! I believe the last knitted FO I had was all the way back in February and was the cutest little baby sweater. As I have moaned and groaned about many times on this blog, I was injured for most of the year with a pretty nasty combo of radial tunnel syndrome and lateral epicondylitis (aka tennis elbow). I was in pain nearly everyday for the better part of 10 months and knitting was the number 1 aggravator of the pain, so this project was on hold for most of the year.

I started this bad boy in January. It had originally began life as The Doodler by Stephen West but it just wasn't working for me. Stephen West is known for his out there designs and if you know me, you know I'm not a very out there person. The Doodler was way out of my comfort zone and I'm sure it would've looked rad, but I wanted something that I knew I would wear. Insert Daybreak by Stephen West. This is one of Stephen's earlier patterns and is not quite so zany. Very wearable and very striped, which is exactly what I wanted for these yarns.

Speaking of the yarns, I purchased them in September of 2016 at Stitches Texas from Steven Be. I knew they'd be perfect as stripes and boy was I right!

In October I started physical therapy and saw results so quickly and was able to start knitting quite a bit again. I went from barely being able to complete a row on a small project to being able to knit for 2 hours at a time within just a few weeks!!! It has literally been life changing and I will write a (very) long post about my injury progress soon. About half of this project was completed from January to March and the rest of it was done in October and November. So let's just say it took 4 months and not 11 :)

Without further ado, my Daybreak!

Specs:Daybreak Shawl I made the large size. Hedgehog Fibres Sock in colors Fly, Zephyr, and Skinny Dip.Size 4 needlePattern was very easy (suitable for a beginner with experience with increases, slipping stitches, and color changes at the beginning of a row). Yarn is gorgeously dyed but loosely plied- if you have to rip anything out, you will have to be careful to not split the strands when re-knitting. Ravelry link.Towards the end of this project, 1 row was taking about 30 minutes to complete and it took me nearly an entire hour to bind off. I have been told I am a pretty fast knitter, so keep that in mind when gauging your own time commitments!

Special thanks to my sweet friend Ana from Ana Eloise Photography for showing me the life changing magic of using a gallery to upload photos! This will make my blogging life so much easier!

whoa you guys. It's been over two months since I last wrote. In that time, I went to physical therapy for my arm and I'M PAIN FREE!!! This is a huge deal because I was in pain for ten months of this year. During that time, I really had to reset my priorities and one of the things that was obviously no longer important to me anymore was spending hours a day on my computer. Before I wrote this today I couldn't remember the last time I had opened my computer. It has been so nice to take a break and unplug and I have found that I really don't miss those hours scrolling away on stupid websites BUT I did miss blogging!

I have A TON of links stacked up to share so I'm just gonna go ahead and dump them all out right now. Going forward I am not sure I will have a weekly link post since I am not spending much time on the internet anymore but I am hoping that will mean that I will be using my time more wisely on actually crafting, photographing said crafts, and sharing those pics here!

I'm going to break this up into categories and we're just going to go for it!

Have I got a lot of links for you. That's what happens when you don't post for a month but do keep bookmarking cool stuff!

First up, I have to mention my newest music obsession. A friend invited me to go see Father John Misty with her last week. I had heard some of his music here and there on KXT and had given his newest album, Pure Comedy, a few listens. I've had his other albums for a while as well but hadn't really given them a good listen. So we go to the show and you guys. I was blown away. It was one of the best shows I have been to this year (and trust me, I have gone to tons of shows this year) and I had all of his songs stuck in my head. I made a playlist from the setlist of the show and listened to it all day long after the show. Then I started listening to I Love You, Honeybear and found that I didn't want to stop listening to it, so I think I have heard it approximately 100 times this week. I'm in love. I ended up driving a not insignificant number of miles to pick up some FJM vinyl because that is who I am as a person. If you ever get the chance to see him, whether you know his music or not, please go.

It's October which means cooler weather is (hopefully) on its way. What better way to warm up than with red wine hot chocolate?!

The quilt police are the worst but Karlee found a silver lining and made THE RADDEST quilt! Also, if anyone ever ripped one of my quilts in half y'all would hear about it bc I'd be in prison for murdering said person.

Def have been watching this video off and on for a few weeks now. I already lurve Lisa Hannigan but that orchestra is amazing!

I didn't intend on taking a month-long break. As you all know by now, my pesky arm likes to give me trouble and I thought it was high time to take a serious break from the things causing me pain- knitting, crafting of any sort really, scrolling forever on instagram, scrolling forever on blogs, taking every quiz on buzzfeed, the usual.

So i ended up taking a break from a lot of things that bring me joy but also discovered that a lot of those things I also didn't miss much. My bloglovin' feed? I've cut down to just the essential blogs that I always look forward to and got rid of the rest. Buzzfeed? My life feels happier without it. Instagram is one that I did sorely miss, but just like when I first gave up on Facebook, it got easier the less I checked it.

The knitting and crafting though? Y'all know that has been taking its toll. I'm happy to report that I was able to go to Stitches Texas and take 2 classes back in mid-September. Serendipitously, I met a physical therapist during my first class and she gave me some super helpful pointers for my elbow problems. I followed her advice and my elbow feels normal. That's the power of the knitting community, I tell ya. After Stitches, as part of the protocol the physical therapist told me to do, I was not knitting. This past week, however, I have been mostly pain free (in my arm at least) and have knit a little bit most days!

Here comes the but. My old shoulder injury, which has never really gone away, has reared its ugly head and is causing quite a bit of pain. Just when one thing starts to feel a little better, the other goes awry. Is this what 28 feels like? Apparently for me, the answer is yes.

The breaks from the things I thought I loved have given me room to entertain myself in other ways, namely books and TV. I have made it through all of Broad City, something that was on my list for a while, and have gotten to read a lot. I've been keeping up with my French lessons and that's fun too.

So at this point I'm still not feeling great and have been trying to stay away from the computer and phone and other painful things. Even with those breaks though, things are still not quite right. I have an appointment scheduled with a pain rehab clinic this week and I'm really hoping they can help me out. They have a really good reputation and they're focused on treating the body holistically, with manual therapy (which I think is code for painful-but-good massage) and physical therapy, which is exactly what I have been wanting. Hopefully in the next few weeks I will be feeling good again and will have crafty things to post about. In the meantime, I will finally add a good old weekend reading post and will try to do those on the reg once again.